Exploring Neolithic and Megalithic south India: the Bellary District archaeological project

NICOLEBOIVIN, RAVI KORISETTAR, P.C. VENKATASUBBAIAH,HELEN LEWIS, DEEPAK HAVANUR, KALYANMALAGYANNAVAR & SUBHAS CHINCHOLI~

The southern part of the Indian peninsula is an area of the project made use of theoretical concepts of outstanding archaeological interest. While its and methodological approaches that have not historic cities and temples have long attracted the previously been applied in studies of south In- interest of both scholars and tourists, however, south dian prehistory, including symbolic and pheno- India’s equally remarkable prehistoric period remains menological approaches to understanding the have only rarely received the attention they deserve. perception and use of landscapes in the past. This A new joint Cambridge-Karnatak University re- research demonstrated that the location of sites, search project was thus initiated in 2002 to study and particularly ashmound sites, was influenced the unique Neolithic and Iron Age remains of the by patterns of visibility and movement, the pres- southern Deccan. This 2-month pilot project fo- ence of visually dramatic landscape features and cused its efforts on the Bellary District of Karnataka, the east-west movement of the sun across the sky. where prehistoric megaliths and ‘ashmounds’ It suggests that the evocative landscape of the south- (large mounds of burnt cattle dung) occupy a stun- ern Deccan was not just a backdrop for Neolithic ning landscape of naturally sculpted granitic rock activities,but rather a mythical and possibly sacred formations (FIGURE1). The aim of the project was ‘force’ that permeated many aspects of Neolithic to explore, survey and record visible archaeologi- (and subsequent Megalithicllron Age) life. cal and landscape features in order to acquire insights Some preliminary efforts were also made to into the indigenous processes of neolithization and analyse the rock art found at Sanganakallu-Kupgal megalithism that led to the formation of these unique and other sites in the Bellary district. Rock-art and still enigmatic monuments of ash and stone. motifs, predominantly in the form of pictographs, The Bellary project incorporated a range of ap- are found in remarkable quantities at Sanganakallu- proaches at different scales of analysis. One Kupgal. These are dominated by depictions of the particular cluster of sites, known as Sanganakallu- long-horned, humped cattle that were domesti- Kupgal, was selected for intensive exploration and cated during the southern Neolithic, but also in- survey. This included surface exploration and clude ithyphallic and dancing figures, and hunting, study of a variety of activity areas, including per- bull-capturing and sexual scenes, as well as ap- manent and temporary habitation sites, stone- parently abstract motifs. The presence of remark- quarrying and tool-production areas, rock-art sites, able ‘ringingrocks’ at Sanganakallu and other sites rock-shelters, ashmounds and megaliths. In ad- with large concentrations of rock-art motifs was dition, systematic fieldwalking was undertaken also noted for the first time (see FIGURE2). Com- on the plain that surrounds the large granitic out- bined with the fact that many motifs are visible crops upon which most prehistoric activity seems only to the physically able (viewingthem involves to have focused. Fieldwalking tended to confirm climbing rocks) and to small groups or individu- this general south Deccan land-use pattern, since als, these ringing rocks suggest that rock-art pro- finds off the granitic tors were predominantly of duction andlor viewing was part of an overall the Early Historic and later periods. Neverthe- ritualized sensory experience available only to a less, several small rock-art sites and a rock-shel- particular sector of society or even individual. ter rich in microliths and containing a partially Several specifically targeted micro-scale inves- exposed human burial were also discovered dur- tigations were also carried out at a number of sites ing this phase of the project. in order to shed light on particular aspects of land- Exploration of sites in the region surrounding scape use and perception. For example, micro- Sanganakallu-Kupgal was also undertaken in or- morphological and bulk geoarchaeological der to investigate the relationships between ar- sampling of exposed ashmound sections at three chaeological and landscape features. This aspect different sites was carried out with the aim of

* Boivin, McDonald Institute for Archeological Research, Downing Street, Cambridge CBZ 3ER, England. [email protected] Korisettar, Department of History & Archaeology, Karnatak University, Dharwad, Karnataka 580 003, India. [email protected] ANTIQUITY76 (2002): 937-8 938 NEWS & NOTES

FIGURE1 (left). Kupgal ashmound (note person at right for scale), with Hiregudda granitic outcrop in background and recent rock art in foreground (right).

FIGURE2 (below, right). ‘Ringing rocks’ and ancient petroglyphs at Hiregudda, Sanganakallu.

FIGURE3 (below, left). Legged terracotta sarcophagus and pots from the burial at Ku da tini.

shedding light on processes of ashmound forma- tion. In addition, small-scale excavation was car- ried out on a pit that had been partially exposed by recent construction activity at the largest known ashmound of Kudatini (located about 15 km west of Sanganakallu), revealing a six-legged zoo- morphic sarcophagus of probable early Megalithic date (c. 1100 BC) (FIGURE3). The terracotta sar- cophagus, which was surrounded by at least 12 pots, some containing human bone, was oriented precisely north-south and contained a second- ary child burial and a fine chert blade. The find is unique for this part of south India, and holds nu- these remarkable sites, many of which are cur- merous implications, especially concerning conti- rently threatened with oblivion as a result of ag- nuity in certain aspects of landscape perception ricultural expansion and, particularly, large-scale between the Neolithic and Megalithic periods. commercial granite quarrying. It is intended to embark on a program of sys- tematic excavation at Sanganakallu-Kupgal in Acknowledgements. We wish to acknowledge the invalu- future seasons, as well as to continue the train- able assistance of Ramadas and Linganna, both of Sanganatallu village. This project was funded by the Brit- ing of local students in archaeological methods. ish Academy, with additional aid coming from the Soci- Future efforts will also need to be directed to- ety for South Asian Studies, the Prehistoric Society and wards obtaining protection for at least some of Karnatak University.